Traditional Japanese houses for sale

Traditional Japanese houses for sale start at $64 (median $50,874, October 2026). 2,542 are listed here, including 454 kominka farmhouses with exposed timber beams, tatami rooms and engawa verandas. Most were built before 1981 and many need work. Foreigners can buy them freely.

Map of the 2,542 traditional japanese houses on this page

Open map view

Questions

What is a kominka?

A kominka (古民家) is an old Japanese folk house, usually at least 50 years old, built with traditional timber joinery: big exposed beams, earthen-floor entrance (doma), tatami rooms and often an irori hearth.

What is the difference between a kominka and a machiya?

A kominka is usually a farmhouse in the countryside; a machiya is a narrow wooden town house, typical of Kyoto and old merchant towns.

Are old Japanese houses safe in earthquakes?

Houses built before June 1981 follow the old seismic standard. Timber frames flex well, but most need a seismic check and often reinforcement; many towns subsidise both.

How much does it cost to renovate a kominka?

Full renovations of large farmhouses often run ¥15–30 million. Smaller projects (kitchen, bathroom, roof) cost much less. Each listing shows its condition so you can budget.

Traditional Japanese houses for sale

9SDK house with unregistered kura near Yamato-Yagi, Kashihara, Nara

Single-storey 3LDK with sea and sunset views in Minamata

Old 5DK house in Soyama, Togakushi, Nagano, 3 min from a bus stop

11DK house of 444 m² with a storehouse on a 1,099 m² lot in Inami, Hyogo

1916 old house with storehouse and barn, 10LDK, in Teradomari, Nagaoka

1936 farmhouse estate with storehouses on almost 9,000 m² in Tochigi

13-room house with steel garage on 4,270 m² in Echigo-cho, Takayama, Gifu

Large wooden house with garden on a 617 m² lot in Shimoichi, Nara

8DK house on a 1,512 m² lot, 9 minutes from Sukagawa Station, Fukushima

Traditional Japanese-style house on 720 m² near Obitoke Station, Nara City

Single-storey 4LDK house on 314 m² with new kitchen and bath, Izumisano

Living kominka over 155 years old on 1,328 m², Saeki, Taki, Mie

Renovated 4LDK house on a 547 m² lot with 3-car parking in Echizen, Fukui

1905 single-storey house with 11 rooms on 4,637 m² in Aisai, Aichi

Nearly new 4LDK timber house with vaulted ceiling in Nishigasaki, Hamamatsu

Renovated Japanese-modern 11LDK house on 1,059 m² in Yosano, Kyoto

Historic 11DK house from 1926 on 935 m², 19 minutes from Nomi-Neagari Station

Traditional 9DK Japanese house with garage across the road in Noguchi, Gobo

Two-household home with main house and annex on 1,300 m² in Ryugasaki, Ibaraki

8LDK estate with office, warehouse and forest, usable as a cafe, Takase, Hita

7LDK house with parking for 30 cars and storehouses in Kahoku, Ishikawa

12SLDK traditional house with 1884 storehouse in Kanazawa

12DK house with Tateyama views, warehouse and fields on 1,466 m² in Imizu

Single-storey 7DK house with garden on 1,288 m² in Sanyo-Onoda

Renovated 5LDK on 840 m² lot with three storehouses in Koshu

9SDK traditional house on a 1,223 m² lot, suited to a guesthouse, in Usa, Oita

All-electric 9SLDK house with farmland on 4,366 m², Kitahanazawa, Higashiomi

Japanese-style 7LDK house on 1,186 m² with views, Ishidoriya, Hanamaki

11SLDK Japanese house with annex and 3-car parking on 1,076 m² in Geino, Tsu

Old 8DK bungalow on 1,191 m² of land in Misaka, Fuefuki, Yamanashi

Single-storey 8LDK with barn and garden on 1,547 m² in Toyonaka, Mitoyo

Large 10DK house three minutes from Nakakaya Station

Single-story 5LDK on a 2,529 m² lot with four outbuildings, Satsuma, Kagoshima

Single-story 8DK house on a 1,649 m² lot in Kurihara, Miyagi

Single-storey 3LDK on a 1,294 m² lot in Tanoura, Moji, Kitakyushu

6LDK bungalow on 796 m² currently run as a guesthouse in Odera, Sosa, Chiba

Traditional 8SDK house with storehouse and garden in Nishihama, Wakayama

Single-storey 5LDK house on a 688 m² lot in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki

Single-storey 6DK house on 1,760 m² in Kobuchizawa, Hokuto, Yamanashi

120-year-old kominka with two courtyards near Hofu Tenmangu Shrine, Yamaguchi

Spacious 5LDK on 1,646 m² beside a shopping mall in Nakatsu

Japanese-style 7SDK house with garden and detached annex in Kitakyushu

Renovated 12LDK house with storehouse on 1,900 m² of land in Aisai, Aichi

7LDK wooden house with basement on 1,020 m² in Chofu, Shimonoseki

Sukiya-style 10LDK mansion on 3,222 m² of land in Ikeuracho, Anjo

Large two-storey house of 463 m² with 4-car garage on 1,936 m², Yokkaichi, Mie

Farmhouse with annex, storehouse and about 21,000 m² of forest in Tsuyama, Okayama

Hilltop farmhouse with barn and cafe-ready annex in Kochi, Higashihiroshima

No house matches these filters

Questions

New houses, in your inbox